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Easy Thermomix Meringues

Silky Thermomix Meringues

I make our mayonnaise, and many other things from scratch, often requiring only the yolk of an egg. I hate seeing things go to waste, so I try to make something with the left over whites. While this isn’t by any means a healthy recipe, it is a lovely one. If you don’t have a Thermomix, here’s my non-Thermomix recipe.

Unless you eat them all in one go, the Thermomix Meringues will last in the cupboard for weeks, if not months!

We put them in the lunch box as snacks sometimes, or have them as desert with cream and fruit – absolutely yum.

To make the colours like in the image above, you need to separate the meringue mix into different bowls and very gently stir through the food colouring. Then use a spoon to move the batter into an icing bag, putting different colours next to each other rather than on top of each other.  As you squeeze it, the colours will mix and make pretty meringues.

If you make meringues with brown sugar they’ll come out in this golden-ish hue rather than white.

Silky Thermomix Meringues

Easy Thermomix Meringues
Author: Keeper of the Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
You can adapt this recipe as far as you like, in terms of amounts used, so long as you use 110g sugar to each egg white. In a TM31, I wouldn’t be inclined to go beyond 6 egg whites however. I have successfully made this with just one egg white too.
Ingredients
  • 3 Egg-Whites, room temperature
  • 330g White sugar (brown if you don’t mind them not being white)
  • Pinch of Salt
Instructions
  1. Put the sugar in the mixing bowl and pulse for 10 seconds on Turbo.
  2. Place the butterfly in the bowl and add the egg whites along with a pinch of salt.
  3. ‘Cook’ at 37C for 7 minutes on speed 2, no MC.
  4. Leave the mix to cool for 10 minutes with the lid off.
  5. Mix again for 7 min/speed 2.
  6. Either pipe the mixture with a piping bag into small circles, or a large ‘pie’ for pavlova-style deserts, or dollop the mix onto a baking tray in spoonfuls, leaving space for expansion.
  7. Cook for about 60-90 minutes on 100C° to 120 min at 80C° depending on your oven and meringue sizes – as well as how chewy you want it.
  8. When finished, leave in the oven to dry out while cooling down.

 

*original recipe found on the Thermomix forums

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Sweet Apple Muffins

I took my children apple picking a few weeks ago, and we came home with masses of apples – way more than we needed really, but it was so much fun picking, that we just kept going. Since then we’ve been making a lot of apple dishes, and these apple muffins have come out as a real favourite. My girls request them. Since they only take two apples we decided to freeze some in packs of two for use over the winter months too.

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Ghoulicious Carrot And Clementine Soup Recipe

Carrot and Clementine Soup

I remember making this Carrot and Clementine soup almost five years ago, with ordinary carrots and I remember that it was lovely. I found it a few days ago in the bottom of my drafts folder, and decided to make it again soon. As it happens our organic vegetable box arrived this week with purple carrots – the original carrots, apparently – and I thought these would make an eerie, spooky, fun addition to your Halloween festivities.

Carrot and Clementine SoupOf course, you can make it with normal carrots too, and it will be delicious, but not purple.

Also, I like creamy soups, so I add cream before serving. You can add cashew cream instead to make it vegan, or  you can make it without any cream at all, if that’s your preference.

Serve with Cardamom Braid or Soda Bread – both are just as delicious.

Carrot and Clementine Soup Recipe:

Carrot And Clementine Soup
Recipe Type: Soup, Winter
Author: Luschka
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 600g (+- 5 large) carrots finely diced
  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 750 ml (3 cups) vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) crushed coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) corn flour or ground rice
  • 6 clementines/mandarins/nartjies or other sweet citrus, liquidised
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • cream to serve
Instructions
  1. Sweat the finely diced carrots and onion in large saucepan with the butter – keep the lid on and keep stirring them until soft, for about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the crushed coriander and heat through for about 2 minutes to release the fragrance, and then add the hot stock, ground cumin and fresh ginger. (If you are using ground coriander add with the other spices and the stock.).
  3. Add the thickening agent (rice or corn flour) and liquidised citrus– stirring well, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then liquidise in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
  5. Return the soup to the pan and reheat for 5 minutes or until piping hot, remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Drizzle with a little cream, and top with dehydrated carrot or twists of citrus zest, and serve with bread.
Thermomix Instructions
  1. Chop the carrot and onion finely, speed 4/ 5 seconds
  2. Sweat for 3 minutes/100C/Speed 1.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt, pepper and optional cream.
  4. Cook for 15 minutes on Veroma/Speed 1.
  5. If you like it smooth, pulse on Turbo a few times, otherwise leave it as is.
  6. Drizzle with cream and season to taste. (optional)
Notes
Any left overs can be frozen, and reheated when required.

Find more Halloween Recipes here

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Chick Pea Patties

Chick Pea Patties
I have a bowl full of chickpeas soaking on the counter at the moment, and I was looking for recipes to use them up with, when I remembered Charlotte had saved this lovely Chick Pea Patty recipe in the folders for us! I know you all love Charlotte’s past contributions, so I hope you’ll love this one too!

I’ll be making them tomorrow myself, I think!

If you’re not using a Thermomix, as Charlotte does below, mix the ingredients in a food processor till they make a nice pasty mix.

Chick Pea Patties {Thermomix Recipe}
Author: Charlotte
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1-2 Tbsp ‘flavouring’ (you can choose what to add, Herbs ect.. I used dukkah)
  • ½ onion
  • 1 Clove garlic
  • 1 egg
  • A pinch of salt & pepper
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs or to make it gluten free I used some oats blitzed into flour
  • 1 Carrot -grated
  • GF flour for rolling in
  • A pinch of salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Place onion, ‘flavouring” and the chickpeas (which you’ve rinsed and drained) and process for 10 -15 seconds on speed 4.
  2. Add in egg and breadcrumbs/oats and process 10 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down sides.
  3. Tip into a large bowl & add grated carrot, salt & pepper
  4. Your mixture will be soft but if it’s runny then add in some oats or more breadcrumbs. You don’t want a really stiff mixture but firm enough to fry later on. Refrigerate at least ½ hour.
  5. Tip some flour onto a plate and take a good handful of the mixture and form into a small burger shape, coating it all in the flour. Be generous with the flour
  6. Now place the burgers on a plate and refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a frypan and once hot fry your burgers for a few minutes on each side. If they start to burn just turn down the heat.
  8. Serve with some pitta bread and salad. Or dip into home made ketchup!
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Win A Signed Copy Of Jo Pratt’s Madhouse Cookbook – UK Only

I love cookbooks and more than that, I love finding recipes I enjoy and then adapting them for the Thermomix, and making them healthier according to our version of healthier. I have a few reviews coming up in the next few weeks, but today I want to share a competition with  you.

jo pratt

One lucky reader can win a signed copy of Jo Pratt’s Madhouse Cookbook by entering the competition below.

Jo Pratt, TV chef and author, is helping families create some quick, delicious and nutritious meals on The Ideas Kitchen website with Panasonic.  They’ve created a series of videos with simple recipes you can watch for guidance. Being sponsored by Panasonic, Jo uses the microwave for her recipe videos, which are also easily adapted to normal stove top cooking.

The recipe book you’re entering to win doesn’t, but has recipes for ‘Monday to Friday Survival’, ‘The Busy Weekend’ and ‘Clinging On To Your Social Life’, a section you could utilise well with Christmas on the way.

To be in with a chance of winning one of two copies of Jo’s new book, just pop over to The Ideas Kitchen website and have a look at her video recipes.

Return here and tell me which recipe you’d love to try!

Step 1: Leave a comment below

Step 2: Click on the +1 on Rafflecopter and leave your details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*I have not been paid or compensated in any way for this competition. I’m just running it for you, the readers!*

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Damson Jam / Damson Jelly Recipe

Damson Jam Recipe

Autumn bounty includes Damsons in the UK, and the trees are laden with them. People can’t get rid of them fast enough. The problem with damsons is that unlike, say, blackberries, you can’t eat them raw, so they often go unappreciated till they fall to the ground.

My daughter came home from a walk in the forest with her pockets bulging with damsons, so I decided to turn it into jam, something I’ve never done before.

Damson Jam / Damson Jelly Recipe
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 200ml
Use equal parts of fruit to jam sugar, boil and store. Easy peasy Damson Jam. You can of course buy your Damsons, but half the fun is in the foraging!
Ingredients
  • 200g Damsons
  • 250g (9oz) Sugar
  • 1 orange, washed
Instructions
  1. Wash damsons and drop them into your pot.
  2. Squeeze the juice of the orange out over it.
  3. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes till the fruit is soft. (20 mins/100C/speed 2).
  4. After 20 minutes, remove from the heat. It’s useful at this point to remove all the pips. If you keep the orange in at this point, you’ll have a slight marmalade undertone to the damson jam. I’m not a fan of marmalade, so I prefer to remove the orange before adding the jam sugar.
  5. Boil for another 20 minutes at 100C/212F.
  6. Remove from the heat and tip the pot slightly. If the jam looks like it is creating a wrinkle, remove from heat and pour into steriised jars to keep for later, or into a jam jar to start using straight away.
  7. If it doesn’t seem to be wrinkly yet, cook for a further five minutes before dispensing into jars. Remember that damsons have a lot of pectin in them and will set as it cools.

 

 

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Raw Blackberry Crumble Recipe

Raw Blackberry Crumble

It’s easy to reach for comfort foods at this time of year, as the seasons change and we start going a little more insular, but there’s no reason your blackberry crumble has to be unhealthy – if fact, if you have a raw blackberry crumble, it’s fresh, good for you, and what’s more, you can make these ahead and take them out as you fancy.

I found the walnuts I used in this quite bitter, so will try different walnuts next time, or perhaps hazelnuts or something else. It’s a lovely snack to have in the freezer for when you just want something nice. These were especially good, because my daughters and I went foraging, picking the berries ourselves earlier in the day.

Take these from the freezer about half an hour before you eat them, and enjoy!

 

Raw Blackberry Crumble Recipe
Author: Luschka
Ingredients
  • [u]Crumble
  • [/u]
  • 1 cup walnuts/pecan nuts or cashew nuts
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 2 pitted dats
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or essence
  • Pinch Himalayan or rock salt
  • [u]Filling[/u]
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries
  • 2 dates pitted dates
  • 1 Tbsp honey, local preferable
Instructions
  1. I use my Thermomix, but any food processor that can handle nuts will do.
  2. To make the crumble, add the nuts, coconut, salt, dates and vanilla to the bowl and process – (10 seconds, speed 6). You want it to be a crumble, not a paste.
  3. Take 3/4 of the mix and press into a pan, or silicone cupcake pans. Put the rest of the crumble aside.
  4. To make the filling, add half the blackberries into the food processor, along with dates and honey. Process until well blended. Add the remaining blackberries and mix lightly so there are still whole blackberry chunks.
  5. Pour the blackberry filling over the crust in the cake pan, or scoop into muffin cases and top with the remaining crumble.
  6. Gently press the crumble, and freeze. When it’s a frozen, remove from muffin trays and place in airtight container.
  7. To serve, remove from freezer about half an hour before.

 

 

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Awesome Autumn Apple Chutney Recipe

Around this time of year, the apple trees are laden with juicy, lovely fruit, just waiting to be picked. A few years ago we lived in a house with a huge apple tree in the centre of the yard, and I learned to make apple-everything! I’ve missed this beautiful apple chutney since then, but where we live now the apple trees line a public walk way, free for anyone with a long enough arm to help themselves.
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I’ve made a few batches of this apple chutney this year – with apples from a friend’s garden, actually – and it gets rave reviews every time. I core the apples too, but don’t peel them. If you do, however, sprinkle the skins with cinnamon and pop them in the dehydrator over night or a low oven for two hours for a lovely apple crispy snack.

Great with cheese and crackers, or mixed in with mince or other cooked meats, this is my favourite home made apple chutney.

Awesome Autumn Apple Chutney
Recipe Type: Chutney, Condiment
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 500ml
Ingredients
  • 5 green apples, cored
  • 3 large tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 large onions
  • 5g fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 80g raisins
  • 30g orange juice
  • 20g lemon juice
  • 225g soft brown sugar
  • 200g apple cider vinegar
Instructions
  1. Chop the ingredients finely. (Chop lightly in a food processor if you can)
  2. Add the liquids and sugar into a pot and stir till the sugar has dissolved.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
  5. Pour into warm sterilised jars and keep for up to a year.
In the thermomix
  1. Add the apples, tomatoes and onions to the Thermomix and chop 10 seconds/speed 4
  2. Remove to a large container.
  3. Add the ginger and garlic to the Thermomix and chop, 5 seconds/speed 8
  4. Add the raisins, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and cook for 3 minutes/speed 3/ 90C
  5. Add the apple mix back to the Thermomix with the apple cider vinegar
  6. Cook at Varoma temperature for 40 mins/REVERSE speed 2 without MC.
  7. If it’s still too runny, do the same for another 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.
  8. When it’s finished and looks like chutney, pour into sterilised jars.

 

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Marrow Or Courgette / Zucchini Soup Recipe

Courgette Soup

I’m quite fond of courgette (zucchini), lightly fried with anchovy and pine nut, or steamed, or frittered, but it took getting a 3.5kg (7lb7oz) courgette from a friend of mine recently to get me to try courgette soup, and it is without doubt my favourite soup ever, hands down.

Courgette Soup

It is so simple to make too, that it can actually be whizzed up in no time. If you need a quick and delicious dinner, and don’t know what to do with that end of season marrow, zucchini or courgette surplus, look no further. If you don’t love it, I’ll … well, I’ll eat it!

Personally, I adore this with some cream, but if you’re trying to keep the calories down, I find it quite fresh and thoroughly enjoyable with some salt and pepper.

This also freezes very well,

Courgette Soup/ Zucchini Soup
Recipe Type: Soup, Main, Side, Starter
Cuisine: Autumn Food
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5
I can not stop talking about this soup. I’m not a huge soup fan, and eat it largely out of ease or need, but this soup? Well, it can move in, quite frankly! I love it. Serve with fresh home made bread (or not) and top with dehydrated courgette strips, or perhaps crispy bacon.
Ingredients
  • 700g courgette / zucchini /marrow
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp stock or a stock cube and 2 cups water (or 2 cups liquid stock, I prefer chicken but veggie works too)
  • 1 cup cream (250ml or a 240ml pot will be fine) = 240g (optional)
Instructions
Regular Instructions
  1. Roughly chop the marrow and onion, and pop in a food processor. If you like chunky chewy soups, lightly blend leaving chunks, if you like a smooth drinkable soup, keep it going for a while.
  2. Add the stock and water, and bring to the boil.
  3. Simmer for 15 minutes
  4. Stir in cream, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and either dehydrated courgette, crispy bacon or croutons, or eat as is, with our without thick chunks of bread and butter.
Thermomix Instructions
  1. Add the onion and garlic and mix speed 10, 10 seconds
  2. Slice the courgette and place in the Thermomix.
  3. Add the stock and water and cook speed 2/Varoma/15 mins
  4. Check the texture. If you like chunky chewy soups, lightly blend leaving chunks, if you like a smooth drinkable soup, keep it going 60 seconds, speed 5.
  5. Stir in cream, if using, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and either dehydrated courgette, crispy bacon or croutons, or eat as is, with or without thick chunks of bread and butter.

 

 

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Blackberry Jam ( Blackberry Jelly)

Blackberry Jam Blackberry JellyIt’s been a beautiful summer, and I’ve focused largely on my children, and very little on anything else, including these pages. I’ve often taken a photo of things, thinking I’d publish them when I have a moment, and that moment has just never come, and here we are, just in time for autumn.

Nature is a beautiful thing though, and knowing full well that the barren months of winter are coming, Autumn blesses us with a bountiful harvest of apples, blackberries, rosehips, damsons and more. My children and I have spent time foraging in our local area, trying to take advantage of the free fruit as much as we can. Over the next few days, I’ll share some of the results of our foraged free food with you.

Today’s recipe is a bit of a cheat: Blackberry Jam. It’s a cheat because I used Jam Sugar with added pectin rather than making my own. We were lucky, I think and got the berries at just the right time, as they were sweet, full of juice and just delicious.

I use a jam strainer to catch all the seeds and skins, leaving me with a beautiful clear jam.

Blackberry Jam
Recipe Type: Condiments
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 250ml
The flavour of this jam depends a lot on the blackberries you use. We picked plump, juicy, ripe blackberries to make a sweet, delicious jam for toast, home made doughnuts and more.
Ingredients
  • 250g (9oz)fresh blackberries
  • 250g (9oz) jam sugar
  • 2tbs lemon juice (if from a bottle)/ juice from 1/2 lemon if using fresh lemon
Instructions
  1. (If you’re using a stove to make jam, you’ll need a sugar thermometer to check when your mixture is at 100C/212F. If you’re using a breadmachine with a jam function, follow manufacturer instructions. For a Thermomix, cook at 100 degrees at speed 2. )
  2. Place all ingredients in bowl and cook for 40 minutes at 100C or 212F.
  3. To check whether your jam has set, tilt the bowl slightly, being careful not to spill boiled sugar! Check to see whether a slight gel forms on top. If not, return to heat for five minute intervals. Your external temperature will affect how long your jam has to boil.
  4. It shouldn’t take over 50 minutes, but if it does, turn the heat up as high as possible (watching it doesn’t burn) for 3 minutes.
  5. Pour jam into sterilised jars and leave overnight to cool.